Although 195 countries pledged to submit updated national climate action plans this year, the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent crises that have followed, have thrown those ambitious goals off track, even delaying the UN climate summit until November 2021.
But this past Wednesday at the UN, developing countries stressed the urgency for action, with Ethiopia’s President reminding countries that the effects of the pandemic should not serve as excuse to commit to actions to fight climate change because “delayed response is going to be expensive and irreversible."
Ethiopia is one of 48 countries in the “Climate Vulnerable Forum” (CVF) who are working to submit updated plans this year, despite contributing very little to global warming.
A number of countries, several of them developing countries, have already submitted their plans, including in this challenging year.
Patricia Espinosa, head of the UNFCCC repeated warnings that temperatures had already increased by over 1C from preindustrial times and the world is on pace to warm close to 3C, even if current pledges made are delivered on time this year.
Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, current chair of the CVF, pointed out positive emissions reductions and climate adaptations like its efforts to develop floating agriculture technology and crops resistant to extreme weather impacts.
Costa Rica now produces 100% renewable electricity for most of the year, while Ethiopia has planted more than 5 billion tree seedlings, on pace to grow 20 billion trees by 2022.
She added the CVF, who represent more than 1 billion people across Africa, Asia and Latin America, expect G20 countries that are responsible for more than three-quarters of global emissions, to determine “clear and definite” plans for cutting emissions. (Reuters)
